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BRC Global Standard for Food Safety

​The BRC (British Retail Consortium) Global Standard for Food Safety was created to ensure supplier compliance and secure retailers’ ability to guarantee the quality and safety of the food products they sell. Today it is used worldwide as a framework for any business (retailers and processors) to assist the production of safe food and the selection of reliable suppliers.

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The BRC Global Standard for Food Safety is one of the operational tools most frequently used for due diligence and supplier approval. It helps companies to select and qualify their suppliers. Thus, the system reduces the overall costs of the supply chain management and increases the level of safety for customers, suppliers, and consumers. Regarded as a ticket-to-trade, the standard is also a great opportunity to demonstrate your company’s commitment to food safety, quality, and legality, and to work on continual improvement.

BRC Global Standard for Food Safety meets the criteria of the Global Food Safety Initiative by The Consumer Goods Forum, which was created by the merger of CIES, the pre-eminent food and consumer goods industry body, with the Global CEO Forum and the Global Commerce Initiative (GCI), two global retailer and manufacturer collaborative platforms.

In other words the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety is now accepted by the majority of food retailers and manufacturers as equivalent to the other benchmarked food safety standards, such as IFS, SQF and FSSC 22000.

What is the standard?

The main retailers in the United Kingdom were concerned about food safety because of their direct responsibility in case of an incident. To take control of the situation, retailers require that all food suppliers to be certified to a specialized standard to ensure that they comply with quality and safety demands, and legal requirements.

After it was first issued in 1998 the standard was regularly improved, involving international stakeholders in the supply chain. Today it is global tool based on the most recent and updated food safety standards and methodologies.

The requirements in the standard are related to the quality management system and the HACCP system, supported by detailed prerequisite programmes, that is a set of GMP ((Good Manufacturing Practise), GLP (Good Laboratory Practise) and GHP (Good Hygiene Practise) requirements.

Why is certification good for my business?

Most British and many European and Global retailers and brand owners, as well as food processors, only include suppliers certified to the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety in their supply chain.

The BRC Global Standard for Food Safety enables your organisation to:

Provide evidence of commitment, and, in case of food safety incident, legal defense in the frame of the "due diligence" concept.*

Build and operate a management system capable of helping you to better meet food quality/safety requirements and legal compliance, with specific reference to the legislation applicable in the countries where the finished product is consumed.

Provide a tool for food safety performance improvement and the means to monitor and measure food safety performance effectively.

How can I prepare for certification?

Companies that plan well will often have an advantage and be better prepared for certification. It is important that you and your company are positive, committed, and set clear target dates for implementation and assessment.

This includes:

Establishing a quality management system.

Identifying legal requirements.

Identifying and documenting the specific food safety hazards and the relevant control measures (HACCP system).

Identifying the applicable Good Manufacturing Practice/Good Hygiene Practice, including a pest control program, equipment and building maintenance program, housekeeping and cleaning program, and all the specific standard requirements.

Implement any needed structural improvements.

Why partner with us?

We are a world-leading certification body. We help businesses assure the performance of their organizations, products, people, facilities and supply chains through certification, verification, assessment, and training services.

Within the food and beverage industry, we help customers worldwide to achieve excellence in the food safety and quality, environmental management, supply chain management and product sustainability. Partnering with our customers, we build sustainable business performance and create shareholder trust.

The DNV GL Group operates in more than 100 countries. Our 16,000 professionals are dedicated to helping our customers make the world safer, smarter and greener.

* The capability to be able to demonstrate that every reasonable measure has been taken to avoid an incident.